Automobile license-plate holder



Oct. 7, 1924. 1,510,957

F. MURPHY AUTOMOBILE LICENSE PLATE HOLDER Filed April 22 1924 salmi Rigi-:jun 'n vwentoz Frank Nurphcy Patent @et 7, 124..

FRANK MURPHY, F NEW 1Z0 it I N.- Y., ASSEGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO HENRY BOTEN- or :anw Yoan, n. Y.

AUTOMOBILE LICENSE-PLATE HOLD.

Application med hpnl 22, 19213. Serial lilo. 708,114.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, FRANK Mnnrnr, a citizen of United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State yof New York, have invented certain new 1 license plate sign or its substitution by another.

Another purpose is to produce means *for locking a sign in position, so that it may be easily read, the device beingin the term of an attachment adapted to be permanently applied to a vehicle. Y

A further aim is in the provision ot means whereby ther sign is exposed to the rays of light emanating from van electric lamp bulb,

' iormingpart of the attachment.

These andvlike other objects and aims are attained by the novel construction and combination of parts hereafter-'described and shown in thc accompanying drawing, tormng a material part of this disclosure, and in which Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a conventional type of license sign plate as held in engaged position with an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same, taken on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

' Figure i isa partial front elevational view of the sulport frame, the sign being shown as unloc ed and removed.

'Fi re 5 is a fragmentary transverse sectiona view of a modified form of locking means, through the center of which the view is taken..

1t is to be understood from the drawing that the bar, desi ated bythe numeral 10, and its an lar e ements 11, are rigidly engaged in t e usual manner at the rear of a vehicle and are secured to the back of a casing 12 having forwardly extending upper and lower elements 14 and 15 respective y.

The upper element 14 is downturned as at 16 and condingly the lowerv element 15 is upturned asat 17 throughout its entire length. The wedge 16 is turned re-entrantly upward and at the center of the device orms the rear wall 18 of a lamp casing, the Same having a domed top 19 and a front wall 20 in which is set a lens 21.

Within the casing is an electric lamp bulb 22 energized by current passing through the wires 23 and entering the casing at the rear. The lamp or lens may be colored, preferably red, and controlled in any of its methods in comm/cn vogue, the main rays ot' the lamp being directed downward through the open bottom of the lamp casing.

Secured on the inner surface of the casing plate 12 are pairs of opposed elongated brackets 23 and 24 and inserted between the raised outer members of the brackets and the elements 16 and 17 is the license sign plate 25.

ln order to positivel secure the plate 25 and prevent it from eing removed, accidentally or otherwise when it has been entered, a plate 26 is secured to the back of the casing plate 12, as by rivets 27, one of the edges of the plate 26 being extended past the end of the i'rame, shaped and coiled to present a hinge element 28 and carrying a hinge in 29 by which the other element 30 oi t e nge is engaged.

The element 30 is bent at a right angle to .orni a plate 31 in which are secured the ends of a hasp or U shaped loop 32 adapted to extend through a suitable opening.. in the ,y

and also through an wall 12 and plate of the sign plate, near its end, opening 33 in the casing 26, .so as to be engaged by a lock 34 padlock or portable type.

ln the modication shown in Figure 5, in place of the hasp 32, a pair of posts 35 are iixed in the hinge plate or leaf 31, the posts having notches 36 near their rounded outer ends and are engageable in a lock 37 which may be of the permutative type as indicated by the dial 38.

ln operation, the lock, of whatever type used, is removed, the leaf or hinge plate 3l tued outwardly and the license sign plate 25 pressed into its casin from the end nntil the openings in the p ate, its casing and the stationary hinge leaf are in register, whereupon the leaf 31 .isturned down, causing the has to pass throu h the several openings an the lock applic From the foregoing it will be seen that a simple and secure fastening device for a plate sign has been disclosed in the preferred form of its embodiment, but it will be understood that minor changes may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and Scope of the claims hereto appended.

Having thusI described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is -A l'. A license plate support comprising a casing rigidly attached to a vehicle, slideways 0n the upper and lower edges of said casing, a license plate having an opening vnear one of its ends, a leaf hinge having one member fixed on said casing, a hasp carried by the other member of said hinge, said hasp being adapted to pass through the openings in said plate and casing, and means for locking said hasp when in an engaged position.

2. A license plate support comprising a `casing rigidly attached to a vehicle, slideways on the upper and lower edges of said casing, a license plate having an opening near one of its ends, a pair of spaced plates hingedly connected together, one of said plates being iXed to the back of said casing near one end thereof, a hasp ixed on the inner side of the other plate, said hasp being adapted to pass through said license plate and casing, and means for engaging said liasp to prevent unauthorized retraction.

3. A license plate support comprising a casing rigidly attached to a vehicle, slideways on the upper and lower edges of said casing, a license plate having an opening near one of its ends, a leaf hinge having one member fixed on said casing, a hasp carried by the other member of said hinge, said hasp being adapted to pass through the openings in said plate, a lock engageable with said hasp, a lamp casing combined with the sign casing, and a` colored lens in the front of said lamp casing, the downwardly disposed light rays from said lamp being' directed upon said sign plate.

ln witness whereof li have aiiiXed my signature.

FRANK MURPH Y. 

